If You Build It, They Will Come -- A Lesson Learned From The Field Of Dreams
By Marvin Cloud
Entrepreneurs often find themselves faced with a vision-stopping dilemma when they seek to transform their persona from "dreamers" to "doers." Many people cannot envision themselves beyond their current situations and circumstances and therefore they never get to see an invention come to pass, a multi-million dollar business started, or a life-changing idea acted upon.
Years ago, my daughter wanted to do something -- I don't remember exactly what, I only recall that it would have some small impact on the family's finances. I answered her, "Yes baby …" and she finished my statement with a question: "One day, huh, Daddy?"
I didn't realize that by giving her that answer for so long -- it wound up ingrained in her little mind as a possible date, sometime in the future. One day -- a little be better than the 31st of Neveruary.
I remembered that conversation while lying on my back at Brooks Family Practice and Medicine in Humble. Funny what one thinks about when facing the possibility of a death-threatening ailment.
A jambalaya of thoughts rummaged through my mind, but the most prominent one seemed to focus on the fact that "one day," the day when I would hold success in my hands, might never come for me. Faith notwithstanding, an enlarged liver, that Dr. Brooks diagnosed me with a couple of weeks previously, could possibly sideline me for good.
I waited for the technician to come back into the examining room to finish the ultrasound, the first of several tests to determine the source of the problem that caused me to rapidly lose 30 lbs. In the quietness, I could hear the mantra made famous in the baseball movie "Field of Dreams" starring Kevin Costner: "If you build it, they will come."
Released in 1989, the movie that inspired millions became an Academy Award nominee for "Best Picture of the Year." In an oversimplification of the movie's plot, an Iowa corn farmer, hears voices, and believe they are commanding him to build a baseball diamond in his fields. After he does, the Chicago Black Sox team comes to play in "the field of dreams."
Maybe it would be apropos that a similar voice would haunt me at this time because for at least a couple of years, anybody coming in earshot, heard this idea of mine to build a writer's retreat on the old family farm in Kenney, Texas -- one day. It would be a place where people from all walks of life, races, colors and creeds can come and write to their heart's content.
I feel that sometimes, the mind needs a place of relaxation to stimulate creativity. At this retreat, far away from the hustle and bustle of the big city, I intend to create just that, tucked neatly away in a serene setting with a backdrop featuring the most beautiful countryside ever seen.
The last time I visited the place, the old house was falling down, neighboring cows trampled through the carport leaving their trails of "you-know-what" everywhere; hay barns and pens that once housed farm animals of all varieties, now stood precariously in disarray. Yet, I recall that when Walt Disney surveyed the swampland that a few years later would become known the world over as Disneyland, many people did not believe in him, either.
"If you build it, they will come." In "The Strangest Secret," Earl Nightingale asks "What happens to the dreams of men?" I'm paraphrasing, but he talks about how as youngsters, most of us overflow with fire and ideas, but the sad reality confirms that only 5 percent will achieve what most of us call "success."
It took me a while, but I finally learned this about visions. No one really needs to understand your vision but you.
Of course it would be nice for those closest to you to share in your vision. However, most people will only believe in you -- after your vision comes to pass.
If you harbor an inspiration to do something great, people may call you a dreamer, but let them know you prefer the term "visionary." We always wake up from our dreams.
Visions continue until fulfillment finally arrives. "If you build it, they will come."
About the author
Marvin D. Cloud provides a self-publishing alternative at mybestseller.com. For a free writers' workbook and online marketing tips, go to http://mybestseller.com/html/marketing_tips. from http://www.FreeArticlesAndContent.com
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